A Book and a Chat with Jennie Helderman

Jennie Helderman makes a welcome return visit to A Book and a Chat today, to tell us more about herself and her wonderful book “As the Sycamore Grows” and what has gone on since she was last on the show.

Jennie was a “girl power” forerunner, when at the age of ten she became the first girl page in the Alabama State Legislature.

That surge of girl power wouldn’t be the last time she saw a need to put women’s issues at the forefront. Years later, after she helped set up a crisis-call center in an old house, a cry for help at the other end of the phone line resounded in her head. That call was the catalyst; eventually, the empty bedrooms upstairs served as the community’s first shelter for victims of domestic abuse.

Through years of helping champion women’s and children’s issues and working with child abuse victims Jennie put her own mark on the Alabama human rights issues.

Jennies reputation has been enhanced by her wonderful, and as we heard during the show now multi award winning book “As the Sycamore Grows”.

The book is the true story– real names–of a seventeen year abusive marriage; a Sleeping with the Enemy in the Tennessee backwoods, as told by Ginger, who escaped, and Mike, who abused and holds no remorse.

As the Midwest Book Review wrote about this interesting and thought provoking book…

“…a life-story of emancipation, personal fulfillment and escape—not only from a padlocked cabin in the woods, but from a backwards anti-feminist culture into the broader world of contemporary human rights that is America’s mainstream….”

This is a book, that as we heard, is appealing to men and woman alike and keeping Jennie busy being guest speaker at many locations and events, with the possibility of a film also now under discussion it’s always good to have this interesting lady as a guest on the show.

So listen to an interesting and entertaining show as I spend thirty minutes sharing "A Book and a Chat with Jennie Helderman"

Barry

Direct link to the show
"A Book and a Chat with Jennie Helderman".

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Jennie Helderman"

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:
"Jennie Helderman - As the Sycamore Grows"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

A Book and a Chat with Jennie Helderman

My guest on today's A Book and a Chat is a lady who has been there, done it all and got the tee-shirt. Now Jennie Helderman is sharing with readers, a true story that will disturb, educate and hopefully heal.

From baiting fish hooks to telling stories there never seemed to be enough time for Jennie growing, up and even now her mind is full of stories she yet has to write. He life though has been more than interesting from her work with women’s issues and leadership, community development, public relations and communications, beginning in Gadsden, Alabama, and reaching to national levels. She has been a strong champion of women’s and children’s issues and additionally has worked with child abuse victims.

Along with that Jennie has travelled across five continents, made the pilgrimage of the Camino de Santiago de Compostella in Spain. In the summer of 2002, she worked as a photographer on an Earthwatch archaeology project at the Scavi in Pompeii, Italy. She’s hiked and rafted the Grand Canyon twice; visited 47 US states; climbed Mt. Vesuvius; photographed the Masai people and wild animals in Kenya and Tanzania; and recently toured China and Tibet. So as I said she has many stories yet to be produced.

After several award nominated short stories, two successful coauthored nonfiction books, “Christmas Trivia” and “Hanukkah Trivia”, Jennie has now produced “As the Sycamore Grows” a wonderful non-fiction story.

About “As the Sycamore Grows.”

Imagine sleeping with the enemy in the hills of Tennessee when the enemy totes a Bible and packs a .38. Mike shoved and slapped but his primary tools were isolation and economic abuse "until he discovered the power of the Lord”.

The journalist-narrator meets Ginger, who relates the harrowing tale of her escape from a lonely childhood and two abusive marriages. Her parents embraced a super-strict Christian doctrine which teaches that men lead, women follow and divorce is a sin. Ginger escaped from the first abusive marriage, but it meant leaving her baby boy behind. Her second husband virtually enslaved her in isolation, poverty and physical abuse. Once, on Mother’s Day, he viciously beat her and then demanded that she cut the grass—with scissors.

The story also deals with religious abuse of women. Ginger was brought up in a very strict Christian household, blindly following teachings that helped her attract a batterer. Ginger’s second husband, Mike, grew a Moses beard and learned how religion could be a tool for cruelty and control. “When churches tell women to submit and pray harder”.

Jennie comments…

“I stumbled on a great story with a happy ending. For me it was a journey of discovery. For Ginger it meant re-living black days and bad times, but she still held nothing back.”

With several more ideas bubbling away in Jennies mind and a historical novel yet to be completed I’m sure this will not be the last we will hear of today’s guest “Jennie Helderman”

Barry

Direct link to the show
"A Book and a Chat with Jennie Helderman "

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Jennie Helderman "

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:
"Jennie Helderman - As the Sycamore Grows"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

A Book and a Chat with Jennie Helderman

My guest on today's A Book and a Chat is a woman to be hugely commended. Jennie Helderman was the first girl page in the Alabama State Legislature, she has made a huge contribution to helping out abused woman, by setting up her community’s first shelter for victims of domestic abuse.

From baiting fish hooks to telling stories there never seemed to be enough time for Jennie growing, up and even now her mind is full of stories she yet has to write. He life though has been more than interesting from her work with women’s issues and leadership, community development, public relations and communications, beginning in Gadsden, Alabama, and reaching to national levels. She has been a strong champion of women’s and children’s issues and additionally has worked with child abuse victims.

Along with that Jennie has travelled across five continents, made the pilgrimage of the Camino de Santiago de Compostella in Spain. In the summer of 2002, she worked as a photographer on an Earthwatch archaeology project at the Scavi in Pompeii, Italy. She’s hiked and rafted the Grand Canyon twice; visited 47 US states; climbed Mt. Vesuvius; photographed the Masai people and wild animals in Kenya and Tanzania; and recently toured China and Tibet. So as I said she has many stories yet to be produced.

After two successful coauthored nonfiction books, “Christmas Trivia” and “Hanukkah Trivia”. Jennie has now produced “As the Sycamore Grows.” a wonderful non-fiction story.

About “As the Sycamore Grows.”

Imagine sleeping with the enemy in the hills of Tennessee when the enemy totes a Bible and packs a .38. Mike shoved and slapped but his primary tools were isolation and economic abuseAE"until he discovered the power of the Lord. As the Sycamore Grows is a nonfiction narrative about ending the legacy of abuse. Ginger McNeil was brought up to pray and obey, but she escaped the padlocked cabin in the woods where she lived off the land with no electricity or telephone. Today she's a court advocate in the domestic court system. Her husband Mike admits the abuse, holds no remorse, and would do it all again. God made women to serve, he says. It's their job. Both Ginger and Mike speak, as do family, friends, ex-spouses, and others. Threading through the story is loss: the alienation of families, a spiritual void from betrayal by their church, and the death of the son Ginger had abandoned.

Jennie shared with us much about her life and the story behind her book, in a very interesting show.

So sit back and enjoy today's "Book and a Chat with Jennie Helderman ".

Barry

Direct link to the show
"A Book and a Chat with Jennie Helderman "

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Jennie Helderman "

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:
"Jennie Helderman - As the Sycamore Grows"

Don't Forget November is MALE YA MONTH



Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry